Showcasing Women In Pest Control: ‘A Needle Moved’

The way Lisa Botts sees it, women are equipped with plenty of experience to handle the role of technician for a pest control company.

"Crawling around in crawl spaces and running into snakes and spiders, cleaning up rodent droppings – that's not glamorous and it's not pretty," the Peacock Pest Prevention owner says. 

"But we're the ones who clean up children's diapers and vomit, too. So there's a lot of ick factor in our day-to-day life."

Although women hold numerous roles in offices in the pest control industry, the corps of technicians remains heavily male-dominated.

The question is by how much. A Workplace Diversity Survey for the National Pest Management Association in 2018 found 8.4% of technicians were women. A U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics report posted in January 2024 shows women making up 5.1% of pest control workers. 

Dominique Stumpf, the chief executive officer of NPMA, believes women account for a higher percentage of technicians than even the 2018 findings.

“The pandemic would've potentially created more opportunity for women in the industry,” Stumpf says. “That's why I feel like (the percentage) going down is not the right answer.

"We've made a huge change in the ability for companies to recruit women into the industry,” Stumpf adds. “Could there be more? Of course. You could say that about probably any industry, particularly a field industry. But I definitely feel like there's been a needle moved. I'd like to see the data support that."

The 2018 NPMA report also found that only 25.8% of managers and 13% of sales teams were women. Office staffs were made up of 83% women.

Women in pest control will be in the spotlight during the NPMA Women's Forum, an event that also welcomes men, May 7-9 in Atlanta. FieldRoutes, an NPMA Strategic Partner, is a gold sponsor of the Women’s Forum and also sponsored the NPMA Impact Awards for Women in Pest Management.

And good news for women in the pest control industry could be ahead: The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics also projects 3% growth, which it considers “about as fast as the average for all occupations,” through 2032. That will mean opportunities for companies to hire more women in pest control technician jobs. 

"I actually think women are better at this," says Botts, who once shifted from a sales role to technician's work. "They're more detail-oriented. We tend to listen a little deeper to our client's needs and, therefore, pay attention to providing the service in a way that makes the customer feel fluffy about it."

Dylan Morrison, the North Carolina Pest Management Association president, has an up-close view of the ways in which women benefit a pest control company. His wife, Ashley, is the majority owner of City Wide Exterminating in Locust, NC, with Dylan Morrison and Ashley's brother, Chris Hunnicutt, holding minority ownership.

Dylan Morrison, the director of operations, has also served as a mentor to City Wide technician Nicolette Hurley.

"She can do anything from a technical standpoint, from a physical standpoint, that our guys can do," Dylan Morrison says. "Our customers love her. She speaks their language, and they're comfortable around her."

In Atlanta, the NPMA Women’s Forum will offer sessions on inspiring and impactful leadership, networking during workshops and breakout sessions, and keynote speeches to complement a celebration of women in the pest control industry. Ninety-two women will be recognized with NPMA Impact Awards at the Women’s Forum.

That event will dovetail with the NPMA Workforce Summit May 9-10 in Atlanta, with a focus on "driving the conversation on how to create a skilled, diverse, and engaged workforce that supports the evolving needs of the pest management industry."

Besides its role as a strategic partner with NPMA, FieldRoutes also is a sponsor of the Professional Women in Pest Management Council and of the Women in Pest Control Conference.

Over the next four weeks—before, during and after the NPMA Women's Forum—the FieldRoutes series Showcasing Women In Pest Control will introduce you to seven women who are inspiring, engaging, and empowering in the pest control industry. Stories will be posted at FieldRoutes.com. Here’s who you will meet:

• Dominique Stumpf, CEO, National Pest Management Association, Fairfax, VA

• Tithaney Bray, service manager, Good News Pest Solutions, North Venice, FL

• Essence Blackhurst, fleet coordinator, Hawx Pest Services, Ogden, Utah

• Nicolette Hurley, technician, City Wide Exterminating, Locust NC

• Mariah Vera, director of customer experience, ACTION Termite & Pest Control, Phoenix, AZ

• Summer Dougan, pest solutions specialist, EcoGuard Pest Management, Nashville, TN

• Lisa Botts, owner and operator, Peacock Pest Prevention, Tomball, TX